Kitabi vs Goodreads
A Goodreads alternative for the books you actually own
Goodreads is built around reading and talking about books: shelves of what you've read, reviews, and a very large community. Kitabi is built around the books on your shelf — the edition you own, the friend who has it, the pages you've read of it.
Plenty of readers keep both. If you want the shelf without the social network, this is what changes.
Side by side
| Kitabi | Goodreads | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | An independent app | Goodreads LLC, a subsidiary of Amazon.com, Inc. |
| Built around | The books you own — editions, loans, your reading log | Reading, reviews and recommendations, with a large community |
| Advertising | None | Shows interest-based ads, per its privacy policy |
| Your reviews | Private until you choose to share one | Reviews you post are public |
| Moving your books | Imports a Goodreads CSV export; exports your whole library as CSV | Lets you export your library as a CSV |
Goodreads's column is taken from Goodreads's own pages, read on 16 October 2026 — they are listed under Sources below.
What moves over from Goodreads
Export your library from Goodreads as a CSV and import it into Kitabi in one go. Read, currently-reading and to-read become Kitabi's read, reading and wishlist, and your ratings, reviews and the dates you finished books come with them. Books are matched to the catalogue by ISBN where the file has one, so you get that edition rather than a generic listing.
Kitabi doesn't sign in to Goodreads, doesn't post to it and doesn't need you to close your account. The import is a copy of a file you downloaded.
What Kitabi is built for
Ownership. A book on your Kitabi shelf is a specific edition — your 1994 paperback, with its own cover and page count — and you add it by pointing the camera at its barcode.
Lending. Every loan is a dated record: lent to Anu on 2 June, returned. When a book has been out too long, Kitabi reminds you, not them. Books friends lent you sit on a Borrowed shelf.
Reading in pages. Progress is measured against the edition you are holding, sessions can be timed, and a yearly goal counts what you finished.
Indian languages. Malayalam, Tamil and English books sit side by side in their own scripts, search understands transliteration — typing "Kayary" finds കയർ — and translations of the same work stay linked.
When Goodreads is the better choice
If what you want is the conversation — reviews from strangers, friends' updates, a reading challenge to share, and recommendations drawn from a very large community of readers — Goodreads is that, and Kitabi deliberately isn't. Kitabi has no public feed.
Questions
Can I move my Goodreads library to Kitabi?
Yes. Export your library from Goodreads as a CSV and import it in Kitabi. Shelves, ratings, reviews and reading dates arrive mapped to Kitabi's statuses, and books are matched by ISBN where the file has one.
Do I have to leave Goodreads to use Kitabi?
No. Kitabi never connects to your Goodreads account, so you can keep using both — Goodreads for its community, Kitabi for the books you own and lend.
Is Kitabi free?
Yes. Kitabi is free on iPhone and Android, including the lending ledger, and shows no ads.
Are my reviews public on Kitabi?
Not unless you say so. Kitabi is private by default: every visibility switch starts off, and each review has its own. Private notes on a book are never shared.
What is Kitabi?
Kitabi is a free personal library app for iPhone and Android, for readers who own books. Scan a barcode to catalogue a book, keep a lending ledger of who borrowed what, log your reading in pages, and import a Goodreads export. It works offline, shows no ads, and is private by default.
Sources
Read on 16 October 2026. Prices and features change — check Goodreads's own site before you decide.
More about Kitabi
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Keep the shelf in your pocket
Kitabi is a personal library app — track what you own, log what you read, and lend a book to a friend without losing it. Free, offline-first, no ads.